LOVE FOR THE APPEARING OF JESUS.
THE true people of God are distinguished by the fact that they love the appearing of Jesus. To them the revelation of the Son of God in the clouds of heaven is the fulfillment of the blessed hope. For this they pray, and watch, and wait. The people of God love the appearing of Jesus, because they love him who is to appear. For this very reason it is impossible but that they should love his appearing. We cannot love Jesus himself and not love his glorious advent. Our hearts cannot hold sweet communion with him and not rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory to learn that he is soon to come again to our earth. The people of God can never forget how cruelly he was treated when he was here before. They never can be satisfied till he shall come back in his infinite glory, and the man of Calvary appear before his enemies as the King in his beauty. Besides this, they have every interest identified with the work he is then to perform. With the key of death and hades, he is to open the prison where the sleeping saints are held in captivity. The chains of death shall be dissolved, the gates of their prison shall be opened, and they shall come forth in triumph. His reward is with him. And what a reward it truly is. In one moment all the family of the redeemed shall be changed to immortality. And they shall no longer remain at a distance from him. Faith shall be changed to sight. Hope shall be realized beyond all that the mind ever conceived. Sorrow shall never again come nigh them. Shame shall be succeeded by honor that is infinite. The cross shall give place to the palm branch of victory, and the crown of life. Prayer shall be turned to praise. The anguish of separation shall be changed to exultant joy, when those separated by cruel death, shall meet never to fear separation any more. Not one element of holy triumph shall be lacking. Not one cause of grief remain in existence. The sorrows of earth shall be healed by the joys of heavenly blessedness. Temptation shall never be feared any more. The danger of backsliding will be past. No tempting adversary shall longer lie in wait to deceive. The tears shall be wiped from every eye. The saints shall be ever with the Lord. This is the blessed hope. For this the suffering people of God wait in lowliness, sorrow, and pain. They never can be satisfied till he shall appear who can slay death, and him who had the power of it, and that can restore to earth our long lost paradise. They fondly cherish this blessed hope. They wait for his appearing whom they love, in the tenderness of their hearts, and they ever pray, Even so, come, Lord Jesus.